Beauty

Custom made:Don't you just hate it when your favourite lipstick shade is discontinued? You can spend a lot of time and money trying to replicate it, often without success.

Dubliner Susan Kilcoyne is sympathetic. So much so that she is offering a bespoke colour-matching service as part of her Seka Cosmetics range. You can either go online at sekacosmetics.ie and select a shade from the colour wheel or send a sample of your desired colour by post (from €12). Seka also hosts customer evenings where you can mix and match to your heart’s content. Details are on the website.

On the scent 

They say the smell of baking bread is a sure-fire winner when you have a house on show. Scents can be as powerful as clever lighting to set an atmosphere, and of course they cost less than designer fixtures. Max Benjamin, the Enniskerry-based family firm comprising brothers Mark and David Van den Bergh and their sister Orla, produces a range of 15 fragrant candles and diffusers. Using natural wax, lead-free wicks and essential oils, the candles have an excellent burn time. The latest addition to the range is this set of four mini candles in their signature scents, each suitable for a different area of the home. The set costs €45 at Brown Thomas, House of Fraser, Kilkenny shops and Meadows Byrne, among other stockists. A perfect, very desirable house gift.

Bright fuschia

Hats off to Gillian Moore and Aidan Brady who set up Irish cosmetics brand, Fuschia, in 2004. They’ve not only weathered the recession, but they are picking up awards and have caught the attention of one of the top make-up artists in country, Ken Boylan (below).

“I really like using Fuschia because of their extensive colour range, and the matt and shimmer eye-shadow textures. The mineral powder foundations leave a great smooth finish on the skin.” Praise indeed.

The company’s main store is located at Scotch Hall Shopping Centre, Drogheda, and is like a sweetie shop for make-up addicts. For countrywide stockists, see fuschia.ie.